Wall mountable aquarium or terrarium

Abstract

A wall mountable tank system for holding live flora or fauna includes a tank including a rear panel, a bottom panel, and at least one of a front panel, first side panel, and second side panel. The panels define a tank interior for containing the flora or fauna. The rear panel includes a mounting portion having a receiving groove. A mounting member capable of being fixedly coupled to a vertical mounting surface is provided. The mounting member includes a tongue portion receivable in the receiving groove for engaging the mounting member to the tank.

Description

PRIORITY STATEMENT [0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of Margerum and McCoy, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 269,171, that was filed on 8 Nov. 2005, which itself claims the benefit of Margerum and McCoy, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 626,158, that was filed on 8 Nov. 2004. The above two applications are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to containers for containing flora and fauna, and more particularly to a wall mountable container that is preferably employed as an aquarium for holding marine life-type fauna, such as tropical fish, and associated underwater flora; or else as a terrarium for holding air breathing fauna, such as lizards, frogs and snakes and / or associated flora, or else as an ant farm type terrarium. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION [0003] Aquariums and terrariums have existed and have been in use for many years. A conventional aquarium or terrarium con...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] One feature of the present invention is that it includes a mounting member that includes a tongue portion that is receivable on a receiving groove of a rear panel of the tank. This feature has the advantage of making the tank removeably detachable from the wall, while providing a secure attachment between the tank and the wall. Preferably, the groove includes at least one slot and the mounting member includes at least one tab that is sized and positioned for insertion into the slot. This feature has the advantage of providing lateral stability to the tank, to prevent the tank from moving sideways on the mounting member.

[0018] This feature has the advantage of enhancing the aesthetics of the device. Not only does the interchangeable frame provide a “picture-like” appearance to the tank, but the width of the frame helps to hide aesthetically unpleasing elements such as the light assembly and the filter assembly.

[0019] Another feature of the present invention is that it includes a picture holder for holding a picture flushly against the rear panel of the tank. This feature has the advantage of also improving the appearance of the device, by permitting the user to employ a picture to serve as a background for the tank. This picture can be any picture of the user's choosing or desire, and can include such things as a picture of the user's friends and family; or alternately, of an underwater scene to blend in with the habitat created by the flora and / or fauna contained within the interior of the tank.

Problems solved by technology

Filters are used to filter out material such as biological decay material, which if left unfiltered and remained in the tank, could be harmful to the aquatic life within the tank.

Although lights and filters are valuable, and some cases necessary to the proper operation of an aquarium or other tank containing flora or fauna, light assemblies and filters often have an appearance that detracts from the overall aesthetics of the aquarium.

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